Operating mechanism for a toy game

ABSTRACT

An operating mechanism for use with a toy game which advances a flexible coil rod in incremental steps upon depression of a lever. The lever is pivotally mounted on an internal surface of the game and extends through the housing of the game to enable play. When the lever is depressed it operates to cant a disc to engage coils of helically wrapped wire forming the surface of the flexible cable. The flexible rod, which is substantially rigid when vertically extended, is capable of being fully retracted into the base of the housing of the game to be contained in the flexible plastic tube wound in a substantially horizontal plane and disposed to receive and store the fully retracted rod.

United States Patent Mitchell OPERATING MECHANISM FOR A TOY GAME [76] Inventor: Joseph E. Mitchell, 435 Orlena Ave., Long Beach, Calif.

[22] Filed: Aug. 22, 1974 [2]] Appl. No.: 499,514

[451 July 8,1975

586,549 l2/l958 ltaly 256/106 Primary Examiner Paul E. Shapiro Attorney, Agent, or FirmDorsey, Marquart, Windhorst, West and Halladay [57] ABSTRACT An operating mechanism for use with a toy game which advances a flexible coil rod in incremental steps upon depression of a lever. The lever is pivotally mounted on an internal surface of the game and extends through the housing of the game to enable play. When the lever is depressed it operates to cant a disc to engage coils of helically wrapped wire forming the surface of the flexible cable. The flexible rod, which is substantially rigid when vertically extended, is capable of being fully retracted into the base of the housing of the game to be contained in the flexible plastic tube wound in a substantially horizontal plane and disposed to receive and store the fully retracted rod.

12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures OPERATING MECHANISM FOR A TOY GAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION An operating mechanism suitable for use with a toy game must be inexpensively constructed and easily manufactured but dependable in operation. Stepping mechanisms of the past which have been utilized to incrementally advance a flexible or rigid rod are exemplified by antennas for cars or airplanes and automobile jacks. These prior art devices have employed mechanized rotating belts to force the rod through a housing, sprocket-type apparatus such as utilized in a bicycle with a bicycle or link chain, rods with a threaded surface which may be rotated or screwed inwardly or outwardly, clamping means associated with a movable portion of an apparatus wherein the rod is clamped by a first member, stepped and then clamped by a second member when the first member is released to clamp the next step to be taken, or pneumatic systems where a rod is, either through pressure or vacuum, advanced outwardly or inwardly.

These mechanisms of the past required expensive construction, precise tolerance and energy and housing requirements if mechanically advanced. Some advance systems of the prior art have also required means to translate rotational movements to the incremental stepping desired for an operating mechanism of this type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an operating mechanism for a toy game which is inexpensively constructed, easily manufactured with a minimum of parts, and dependable in use. It employs a flexible cable which is substantially rigid when vertically extended of the type having a helically coiled external wrapping of wire or the like around the external surface. The cable is capable of being fully retracted into a small housing containing a flexible plastic tube having one or more windings in a substantially horizontal plane disposed to receive and store the fully retracted cable.

The outward projecting end of the cable extends outwardly and upwardly through an aperture in the top of the housing. It also extends through an apertured disc, such as a washer, having an aperture which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cable.

The disc or washer extends over the edge of a lever arm which is pivotally mounted at approximately its mid-point having its fulcrum at a point slightly higher than the level of the disc. Therefore, when the lever arm is rotated around its pivotal mounting it lifts or cants the disc so that the aperture in the disc engages the coils which are helically wrapped around the flexible rod to lift the rod and withdraw it from the flexible plastic tubing.

Vertical rigidity of the rod is created by the upright portion of the flexible tubing in conjunction with the method of formation of the plastic tubing as it passes from the horizontal plane to the vertical upright, as well as the frictional force asserted against the exterior of the flexible rod by the interior surface of the plastic tubing. This, in conjunction with an annular support member, maintains the flexible rod in its extended position. Thereafter, when the lever rod is rotated downward again, the disc no longer engages the coils of the flexible rod and returns to its original position.

Therefore, each time the lever arm is depressed, the flexible rod extends incrementally outward in successive steps as desired.

In this manner, any number of game parts can be bal anced or attached to the uppermost portion of the rod and the rod may be stepped upward until the weight of the upper portion of the rod and anything affixed thereto is sufficient to bend the rod away from vertical. In this manner, any number of games can be played, the object of which is to maintain the rod in its upright position for as long as possible.

Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description in connection with the draw ings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toy game which utilizes my invention, partially broken away to show the flexible coil being extended by my operating mechanism and utilized to raise the roof of a house-like construction.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the game with the flexible rod extended sufficiently to flex the rod in accordance with the game.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view showing my invention in its relaxed position.

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view showing a portion of my invention wherein the lever arm is pivoted about its fulcrum to incrementally step the flexible rod upward from the position shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 depicts a toy game which may utilize my invention. In the game a house-like structure 12 is placed on a base 14 and any number of players may play the game by operating the lever arm 16. Each depression of the lever 16 functions to incrementally step a flexible cable 18 with which the lever 16 is associated and upon which a game part, the roof 20 of the house 12 in FIG. 1, is balanced. In this manner, the roof 20 of the house 12 is raised in incremental steps until the weight of the roof 20 and associated cable 18 is sufficient to tip the flexible cable 18 away from perpendicular as shown in FIG. 2. The last person to depress the lever 16 is then regarded as the loser" of the game. It should be obvious that the mechanism which is my invention can be utilized in any number of similarly operated games such as having a game part such as a head extend upwardly from a body-like structure or other toy games of like nature.

To show the internal construction of my invention reference should be made to FIG. 3. The invention employs a flexible rod or cable 18 of the type having a helically coiled external wrapping of wire 20 or the like. The flexible cable 18 is snuggly but slideably contained in a tube 22 which has one or more windings 26 disposed in a substantially horizontal plane and is deformed at one end thereof to put an acute a bend or kink 28 in the tube 22. The end of the tube 22 which is deformed extends upwardly to the top of the game housing 30 to channel and guide the flexible rod 18 through the top thereof. Plastic tubing has been found satisfactory to meet the objectives of the invention.

Surrounding the upper portion of the tube I8 is an annular member 32 which is firmly connected to or formed integrally with the top of the housing 30. This annular member 32 adds added support to the flexible cable 18 and allows it to be extended upwardly and outwardly a distance sufficient to enable playing of the game. Although the tube 22 which contains the cable 18 when it is fully retracted may be conveniently lo cated in any portion of the apparatus 12, it is preferably retained in a base portion 14 and coiled so that it has a substantial diameter in relation to the diameter of the tube 22 or the flexible coil 18. Such a base 14 is shown in FIG. 1, attached to the bottom of the house-like structure 12.

Attached to the top of the structure 30 through which the cable 18 penetrates and spaced a reasonable distance therefrom is a lever arm support member 36 which extends upwardly a distance which is approximately equal to the outer diameter of a disc 38. The lever arm 16 is pivotally attached to the support arm 32 with a journal connection 40. The lever extends beyond the outer diameter of the disc 38 in one direction and beyond the perimeter of the housing 30 for the game apparatus 12 in the other direction. The end of the lever 16 which is operatively associated with the disc or washer 38 is preferably flattened or twisted to create a flat surface 44 which is inserted beneath the washer 38 in order to lift it.

Thereafter. revolving the lever 16 about the fulcrum 40 lifts one edge of the disc 38. The edge of the aperture formed in the disc 38 engages the coil which is helically formed about the flexible cable 18 and lifts or pulls the rod 18 from the tube 22. As explained above, the annular support member 32, the frictional contact of the coil 18 with the tube 22 and the method of forming the tube as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 serves to maintain the flexible rod 18 in the extended position and. therefore, when the lever arm 16 is released the disc 38 falls back to its normally horizontal position where it is ready to initiate a new incremental step of the flexible rod 18.

In operation for a game, the lever arm 16 is repeatedly depressed to incrementally step the flexible rod 18 upwardly and outwardly. Affixed to the outwardly pro jecting end can be any suitable cable connection 48 upon which the operating part of the game, such as the roof 20 in FIG. 1, can be balanced or securely fixed.

Because the flexible rod 18 provides the only support for the rising portion 20 of the game 12, at a suitable distance above the stationary portion of the game 12, the house or box-like structure and base 14 of FIG. 1, the flexible rod 18 will become unbalanced and will flex or curve to the floor as shown in FIG. 2. At this point the player of the game who initiated the last action of the lever 16 is considered to have lost the game.

From a consideration of the foregoing disclosure it should be obvious that the invention is a simply constructed and economically manufactured mechanism which is not susceptible to the disadvantages of the prior art. It should be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and var iations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

Having described my invention 1 claim:

1. An operating mechanism for a toy game C0mprismg a flexible rod;

housing means for the rod;

lever support means positioned a fixed distance from the rod;

a lever pivotally attached to the lever support means;

and

an apertured disc surrounding the rod and operatively positioned relative to the lever so that when the lever is pivoted the edge of the aperture formed in the disc engages the rod to withdraw the rod from the housing.

2. The operating mechanism of claim 1 wherein the flexible rod comprises a flexible cable having a helically coiled external wrapping of wire.

3. The operating mechanism of claim 2 wherein the diameter of the aperture in the disc is greater than the outer diameter of the flexible rod and the disc is canted when the lever is pivoted thereby engaging the helically coiled external wrapping of the rod whereby the rod is withdrawn when the lever is pivoted and the disc disengages from the rod when the lever is released.

4. The operating mechanism of claim 1 wherein the rod housing means comprise a plastic tube having an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the rod.

5. The operating mechanism of claim 4 wherein the rod is slideably disposed within the plastic tube.

6. The operating mechanism of claim 1 wherein the rod housing means is deformed to provide a straight portion and a coiled portion, the coiled portion being disposed in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the straight portion.

7. The operating mechanism of claim 6 wherein the coiled portion is disposed in a circular manner, the diameter of which is substantially greater than the diame ter of the rod.

8. The operating mechanism of claim 6 wherein the straight portion is substantially vertical and the coiled portion is in a plane which is substantially horizontal.

9. The operating mechanism of claim 6 wherein the tube is deformed to provide an acute angle between the straight portion of the housing and the coiled portion of the housing.

10. The operating mechanism of claim 1 further com prising an annular member below the disc surrounding the rod housing means.

11. The operating mechanism for a toy game of claim 1 further comprising a housing for the toy surrounding the rod to which the lever support means is affixed.

12. The operating mechanism for a toy game of claim further comprising a game part balanced on the flexible rod having sufficient weight so that the rod is flexed upon withdrawing a portion of the rod from the rod housing means. 

1. An operating mechanism for a toy game comprising a flexible rod; housing means for the rod; lever support means positioned a fixed distance from the rod; a lever pivotally attached to the lever support means; and an apertured disc surrounding the rod and operatively positioned relative to the lever so that when the lever is pivoted the edge of the aperture formed in the disc engages the rod to withdraw the rod from the housing.
 2. The operating mechanism of claim 1 wherein the flexible rod comprises a flexible cable having a helically coiled external wrapping of wire.
 3. The operating mechanism of claim 2 wherein the diameter of the aperture in the disc is greater than the outer diameter of the flexible rod and the disc is canted when the lever is pivoted thereby engaging the helically coiled external wrapping of the rod whereby the rod is withdrawn when the lever is pivoted and the disc disengages from the rod when the lever is released.
 4. The operating mechanism of claim 1 wherein the rod housing means comprise a plastic tube having an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the rod.
 5. The operating mechanism of claim 4 wherein the rod is slideably disposed within the plastic tube.
 6. The operating mechanism of claim 1 wherein the rod housing means is deformed to provide a straight portion and a coiled portion, the coiled portion being disposed in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the straight portion.
 7. The operating mechanism of claim 6 wherein the coiled portion is disposed in a circular manner, the diameter of which is substantially greater than the diameter of the rod.
 8. The operating mechanism of claim 6 wherein the straight portion is substantially vertical and the coiled portion is in a plane which is substantially horizontal.
 9. The operating mechanism of claim 6 wherein the tube is deformed to provide an acute angle between the straight portion of the housing and the coiled portion of the housing.
 10. The operating mechanism of claim 1 further comprising an annular member below the disc surrounding the rod housing means.
 11. The operating mechanism for a toy game of claim 1 further comprising a housing for the toy surrounding the rod to which the lever support means is affixed.
 12. The operating mechanism for a toy game of claim further comprising a game part balanced on the flexible rod having sufficient weight so that the rod is flexed upon withdrawing a portion of the rod from the rod housing means. 